Location-based services are all the rage and as a result, companies are pushing each other to innovate and be different.

Recently, Whrrl announced some pretty decent news that flew under the radar, but could nudge their competitors to step up their game.

The company launched Society Rewards – a social loyalty program designed to close the gap between a brand’s online social media presence and real-world physical presence.

As part of the program, Whrrl partnered with Murphy USA, who will reward their customers when they check in with Whrrl at one of Murphy USA’s 1,100 locations nationwide. As a result, customers will be accepted into the “Murphy USA Society” and earn a chance to immediately win free gas.

The program, according to the company, is different than the mayoralship-type program similar to other services.

For one, the company says, Whrrl Society Rewards is prize-based where consumers have an opportunity to win prizes when they check in to participating retail locations. Additionally, consumers earn additional opportunities to win as they achieve higher levels in Societies – which happens as others act on their recommendations. Because the rewards are prizes of chance, the program can be started and stopped easily and quickly, without the long-term financial liabilities that come with traditional transaction-based loyalty programs, the company wrote in a blog post.

Another aspect of the program is that Whrrl’s Society Rewards is based on a person’s ability to inspire friends to try new ideas at real-world places. When a user recommends an idea, they earn points and can level up in a Society. Users receive additional points when others “Want To” try that idea, actually do try the idea or pass on the recommendation to their friends. Users also earn points by getting others to join the Society and by checking in at qualifying locations.

One of the aspects of the program that puts the retailer and brand in the drivers seat is that they can have their own Societies, which, according to the company, "are passion groups for the real-world, bringing people together to motivate each other to try new things in a vast array of topic areas." Retailers and brands can create their own Whrrl Societies and motivate their customers to join, "activating them in the real-world."

Of course, nothing in social media would be social if it couldn't be shared. As such, Societies have full sharing functionality in order to drive more users towards adoption.